1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a manipulator for an instrument for minimally invasive surgery, provided with a first moveable carriage, on which first carriage the instrument can be mounted, wherein the first carriage is positioned on a first arm of a parallelogram construction to provide the instrument with a virtual pivoting point in the plane in which—during use—the instrument intersects the body of a patient. The invention also relates to an instrument to be used with such a manipulator, comprising a tube provided at its first end with a mouthpiece and wherein control means for the mouthpiece pass through the tube.
2. Description of Related Art
A manipulator of the kind mentioned in the preamble is known from the International Patent Application No. WO-00/30557.
In the known manipulator the instrument is motor-driven, Such a manipulator is costly, requires the necessary training for use and has the additional disadvantage that the surgeon using the manipulator feels no force feedback from the resistance the instrument encounters during a surgical operation. In addition, the surgeon often experiences a delay between the movement of his hand and that of the instrument.
It is the object of the invention to provide such a manipulator that is simple, less costly, smaller, lighter and providing the surgeon using the manipulator with an undelayed force feedback, as well as allowing the surgeon to assume a natural posture when operating that matches the positioning of the instrument at that moment.